police radar

[iain]

I got a nice $200ish speeding ticket courtesy of Jefferson County today. It seems the cop car was driving in the opposite direction in a group of cars and radared my speed while he was moving. How does this work? Does the radar somehow know the speed of the cop car to figure out my closing speed? I'll probably just cut my losses and pay rather than hauling myself out to Madras for a court date.

[spicoli11]

I belive they just point the gun in any direction.......even if your on-coming....and clock your speed. I've been pulled over that way several times. It seems as if the radar "beam" (?) would be a fixed distance from the gun to the car and it could add or subtract the difference between the two....even if the cop is moving....he "always" knows your speed. Send it in not guilty!! 200$......yikes.....where you going 45 in a 25?

[iain]

apparently 77 in a 55. I'd say it was more like 70

 

But if the reference point is moving, my apparent closing speed on the radar gun would change. Maybe I don't understand how they work but it seems like a basic SAT problem.

[fenderfour]

The radar gun sends out two beams, one on the road in front of or beside the cop car and one on your car. The radar gun subtracts one from the other to arrive at your speed.

 

There are plenty of tricks to getting out of a speeding ticket. You will have to send in a request to subpoena the officer, as well as a person who is certified to calibrate the equipment. The county has to pay for their time and will usually not bring in the certified calibrator, dimissing your case. They might also reschedule it, requiring you to waste another day of work.

[treknclime]

Along the same lines...

 

I've seen WA State Patrol boys using some radar or something that they put up to their face, to sight speeders (it looks like one of those old stereo photo viewers). It's not sending out any of the usual signals, including laser. Anyone know about this new device??

[iain]

Thanks for the info. Probably not worth my time to head out to Madras, so I will just pay it. I would guess a rural county like that would have the time to bring in the officer and whomever else they need. I would also bet I don't have much of a home court advantage at a rural court when I have a Portland address. May be time for a radar detector (or maybe I should just slow down).

 

It just stings when I felt I was not creating a dangerous situation with no one around me on a straight road.

[catbirdseat]

Why is it that the cops don't do anything about distracted drivers?

 

Yesterday on southbound I-5 in Marysville within the space of ten minutes I saw:

 

A man reading a document on his steering wheel while driving. He holds the paper with his left thumb, then reaches over with his right hand to take a sip of his Big Gulp.

 

A woman playing a video game while driving. Maybe it was a PDA. I couldn't tell.

[iain]

I have been witness to a lady eating a bowl of cereal while driving down Broadway in Portland.

[Camilo]

I was driving by a girl in L.A. who was applying EYE makeup on the freeway. Steering with her legs, vanity mirror down. Scary

[specialed]

I got a nice $200ish speeding ticket courtesy of Jefferson County today. It seems the cop car was driving in the opposite direction in a group of cars and radared my speed while he was moving. How does this work? Does the radar somehow know the speed of the cop car to figure out my closing speed? I'll probably just cut my losses and pay rather than hauling myself out to Madras for a court date.

 

Atleast he didn't zap you with his Gaydar.

[iain]

shit you're right I guess I'll consider myself lucky.

[cj001f]

One of the reps for my company regularly drives his stick BMW while driving coffee, talking on the phone, and taking notes on his Treo

[ChestBeater]

I regularly drive while gettin' head.

 

[specialed]

From your dog doesn't count.

[Stefan]

The police are all out writing tickets becuase they have caught all the rapists, and burglars.

 

This is why when you get something stolen out of your vehicle, they will never have the time to find the perp.

[John Frieh]

May be time for a radar detector (or maybe I should just slow down).

 

Take it from the king of tickets: I have found all radar guns do against laser based radar guns (what most cops carry these days) is tell you that you are going to get a ticket... that is if your detector has gone off they already know your speed.

 

With that said radar detectors do help and detect way early:

 

- cops using older radar guns (like the rangers in Rainier National Park )

 

- those mobile "your speed is" things that take your picture if you are over... (sidenote: tape over the license plate is a great way to have some fun... see how high you can get the thing to register).

- Any small town that can’t afford to purchase fancy laser detectors

 

If you do get one make sure you can take it down quickly... you will not get off if you have a radar detector in plain sight. And any pro military, EMT trained, or Police officer support stickers always help. And if you have any membership cards for volunteer groups (the boy scouts, SAR, etc) keep this card behind your license and make sure the cop sees it when you take your license out of your wallet.

[iain]

Thanks NOLSe I assumed as much about the detector, plus some are about the price of a ticket. I'd assume the police keep a pretty good eye on what your hands are doing as you are pulled over. I would bet flashing some volunteer cards could also work the other way if you were too obvious about it. Sucks to just give away money.

 

I wonder how thw radar system works when there are cars in front of the police car with the radar. I would think the radar would also pick up the cars in front of it (there were several) when it tried to calculate the cop car's speed if it reflects off the road in front of it. This would produce an erroneous (higher) reading on my speed. I assume these things work based on Doppler, and are not pin-point accurate. Grasping at straws here, but all I want is reasonable doubt.

 

I didn't think it would get me anywhere to quiz the cop on these points so I was just polite and took it. It would probably just make me look like a jackass and he'd increase the bill.

[cj001f]

I'd assume the police keep a pretty good eye on what your hands are doing as you are pulled over.

Quickly shoving something out of view is not the best way to make friends with smokey - it can be a quick way to a car search though!

[John Frieh]

You always have the right to ask to see the radar... don't do this until he has the ticket in hand... if he did use any fancy suntract/add/laws of physics tricks he would have to explain it then. At that point based on his explanation you can decide to fight it or not.

 

As far as flashing the volunteer card... you don't have to if it is right behind you license... he will see it as you pull out (slowly is the key) you license to hand him.

 

And laser radar guns are so accurate (that is why they have a scope on them) all they need to do is hit one part of your car and tag your it.

 

With that said... 15 moving violations in 10 years later had taught me caution speeding is the key.

 

65 mph = up to 8 over

55 mph = up to 6/7 over

45 mph = up to 4/5 over

25 mph = speed limit! (esp. small towns!)

 

U turns are not worth it.

Always write a letter if you are not going to appear.

 

And when the cops asks "why were you speeding?" tell him no reason justifies you speeding. Apologize. It works much better than saying "77!... Are you sure!?!?!?!?!?"

[iain]

Yeah I wasn't sure if I should have admitted I was speeding, but I did apologize, and when he gave me the option to make up some story about it being an emergency, I admitted that I could not say it was. So much for that strategy. It does seem like you can be well over the speed limit on the freeway before the state patrol will pull you over, but this was the local county. I guess in the end I was speeding and should just suck it up, but hwy 97 could do with 65mph through there.

[Dru]

Don't forget to show off your logo-covered windshirt and blingin' Neutrinos. You see, linking a Trifecta of Cascade Jewels is a good reason to speed. Everyone slogs up a volcano at about the same speed so the only way you can set a new speed record is by speeding between the points.

[gslater]

I wonder how the radar system works when there are cars in front of the police car with the radar. I would think the radar would also pick up the cars in front of it (there were several) when it tried to calculate the cop car's speed if it reflects off the road in front of it. This would produce an erroneous (higher) reading on my speed. I assume these things work based on Doppler

 

Many/most in-car units have a switch that lets the cop choose whether they want to measure the speed of something either approaching or receding. In your case, where the cop is driving in a group, they'll select "approaching" speeds for opportunistic nailing of traffic coming the other way. The radar knows how to subtract out the cop's own speed (usually based on their "calibrated" speedometers), and it knows how to ignore the signals from the cars immediately in front of the cop, because the relative speed of those vehicles is so small as to be inconsequential.

 

In your case, a radar detector almost certainly would have saved you. But if you had a crappy detector, and the cop was using instant-on triggering, and he hadn't triggered on anyone else recently before you, it may not have helped. Even with instant-on, my Valentine 1 detector will usually sniff out any instant-on burst from several miles ahead, especially out on 97.

 

I believe somebody made a comment above about a detector not helping you against the laser-based guns. That's generally true, depending upon how the cop is using it. I think that laser still only works from a stationary position, which is why you always see the cops on the side of the road with the laser unit being held up to their face, as if they were literally going to shoot you. Many of them will have a little fun with it, and try to clock you from a LONG ways out, just to see if their aim is good. Unfortunately for them (and good for you), the reflected signal from those long distances is usually too weak to calculate a speed, but it does give you sufficient warning to slow down. If they wait until point-blank range to pull the trigger with laser, you're pretty much screwed. Fortunately, they usually park their cars perpendicular to the traffic on the side of the road so they can sit there in comfort, shooting the laser out an open window, and that makes them easy to spot.

[Dechristo]

I regularly drive while gettin' head.

 

Got a speeding ticket while in receipt of such favor. I just wish my girlfriend had pulled a Minnie Driver a la Good Will Hunting and garbled to the cop "give us a kiss" when he appeared at my window.

[Dru]

I regularly drive while gettin' head.

 

I just wish my girlfriend had pulled a Minnie Driver a la Good Will Hunting and snowballed the cop when he appeared at my window.

 

kinky